Iran has begun several days of public mourning for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in joint US-Israeli strikes in February. The funeral in Tehran could draw as many as 20 million mourners, with officials expecting the public turnout to be a ‘referendum’ for the Islamic Republic. The regime’s ruling clerics are preparing days of mass funeral rites for Khamenei, with events beginning over the weekend in Tehran, followed by mass processions next week in Qom and Mashhad, and ceremonies in Iraq.
The large public turnout at the funeral procession of the martyred leader and the other martyrs will, in effect, be another referendum for the Islamic Republic, according to Qom Friday prayer leader Ayatollah Mohammad Saidi. Iran has warned Donald Trump and Israel not to launch strikes during the state funeral, with Ali Abdollahi, commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, saying the ‘enemies of Iran’ should avoid a ‘miscalculation’ or else face harsh retaliation. Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has claimed that avenging former supreme leader Ali Khamenei meant freeing Muslims from oppression at the hands of the US and Israel.
Without a doubt, avenging the martyred leader of the revolution means nothing other than freeing all Muslims from the oppression of the United States and the Zionist regime, Ghalibaf said during a meeting with senior Amal Movement official Khalil Hamdan. Ghalibaf also said the ‘great lesson’ from Khamenei’s leadership is the need for Muslims and Shi’ites to remain united. A widening rift has opened up between Saudi Arabia and the United States because of the war in Iran, a report claims.
Officials told the Wall Street Journal the partnership between Washington and Riyadh is souring over disputes on how President Donald Trump has handled the war, which began after joint US-Israel strikes on Iran in February. The US is reportedly now considering reducing its military presence in Saudi Arabia and instead putting its forces in countries it feels were more supportive during the war, including Israel and Jordan. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has reportedly deployed special forces along Iran’s Persian Gulf coastline to identify vessels transiting the Oman-side route through the Strait of Hormuz before they enter the waterway.
According to the sources, the Guard operatives are also attempting to obtain, through Omani sources, the schedules and transit coordination details of ships using the southern route through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s joint military command has warned that all oil tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz must use its approved routes or face a ‘forceful response.’ The statement from the Khatam al-Anbiya military command was aired on Iranian state television. It wasn’t immediately clear what sparked the threat from Iran.
Any failure to comply, deviation from the designated route, or disregard for the navigation protocols of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Strait of Hormuz will be met with an immediate and forceful response from the armed forces, endangering the security of the violating vessels, the statement said. It also said the continued presence of US fighter jets over the strait ‘causes insecurity in this waterway and threatens regional security.’ A powerful general who leads Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard emerged from hiding as Tehran prepared Friday for the days-long funeral for the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Photos published online by Iranian state media showed Gen Ahmad Vahidi attending a meeting about the funeral of Khamenei, 86, then sitting alongside his casket as Iran’s theocracy held a smaller service for him Thursday night near the supreme leader’s former home in downtown Tehran.
Vahidi has become a major player in formulating Iran’s tough stance in negotiating a possible permanent end to the war with the United States, experts say. He is believed to be part of a small clique in direct contact with Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who remains in hiding after being reportedly wounded in the Feb. 28 Israeli strikes that killed his father, the elder Khamenei. Oil prices rose slightly today before a long holiday weekend in the U.S. as wary optimism held over efforts to make peace in the Middle East between the US and Iran.
Brent futures were up 17 cents, or 0.24 per cent, to $72.10 a barrel. West Texas Intermediate was up 14 cents, or 0.20 per cent, to $68.83 a barrel. US markets will close on Friday ahead of the US Independence Day holiday on Saturday.
Polymarket, a prediction market, has reported that some European leaders are saying that a toll in the Strait of Hormuz is now seen as ‘inevitable.’ It was not immediately clear which leaders believe this or what the reports were based on, in the short post shared on their social media page on X. It speculated that there is now a 44 per cent chance that Iran will implement such a toll by the end of August. President Donald Trump has insisted that he will now agree to the imposition of a toll over the vital shipping route.
But reports have suggested that Iran and Oman may seek to implement a charge for commercial ships.
